"They'll not desert us--of that we may be certain," I replied; and I thought how heart-broken Captain Frankland would be when he found that his son had fallen overboard and was in all probability lost. Strange to say, I did not think at all of my own perilous position. I had gone to save Jerry, and it seemed a matter of course that I must save him. It must be remembered that our heads were very little above the level of the water, and that although the sea had gone down considerably, we were surrounded by masses of foam--now sinking into the trough, now rising to the top of a wave. Our view, therefore, was very limited. We were looking out eagerly for the ship through the thickening gloom. Happily, when the life-buoy was let go, the trigger was pulled. This set off a sort of blue light, which burned at the top, and which water could not extinguish. We felt sure, therefore, that as long as that light continued burning we should be seen by those on board. Our great dread was that the light would go out before the ship could get back to us. We strained our eyes in the direction of the ship. The thickening gloom and mist were rapidly encircling her, and shrouding her from our sight. "O Harry, Harry, she's going away, and they won't know where to look for us!" cried Jerry. "Poor father, what will he do? and my carelessness has brought you into this trouble, and poor Surley too. I wish you hadn't jumped overboard for me." "I'm very glad I did, for I don't think that you would have been alive now if I had not," I answered; "and don't have any regrets about me--I only did my duty, and I am sure that you would have done the same for me. But I say, do you remember what Mr Brand talked about when we were holding on by the bottom of the boat among the Falklands?" "Yes, I do; something about our being summoned before many moments to stand before the Judge of all the world," answered Jerry. "I've been thinking of that just now." "So have I," said I. "Well, it strikes me that if we thought about it oftener we should be better prepared for the time when it does come. Come it will, I know,--`as a thief in the night,' the Bible says. I'll try and think more on the subject, so that when the moment does come I may be ready." Many people make resolutions as we did: how few keep them! It is extraordinary that we should have been able to talk so much in the position in which we were placed. As I was saying, we strained our eyes gazing after the ship. "Jerry," I exclaimed suddenly, "she has hove about--I am certain of it! See, see! she is coming nearer!" Breathlessly we watched. Even though the gloom was thickening, we could discern that her bow was turned towards us. We shouted in our eagerness--not to show where we were: there was no use in that, nor could we have made ourselves heard; the light also from the life-buoy was still burning brightly. On came the ship towards us. There was no doubt about the matter.